Forgotten Soul
by AngelDragon
Summary: In the middle of nowhere,Vash and Wolfwood are haunted by a vengeful spirit.Can they help her find peace & solve the puzzle of her past?Or will she make them pay for her pain?


Forgotten Soul a spooky Trigun fic by AngelDragon  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it (but in a dream I owned Vash once ^_^)  
  
Notes: Hmm, I thought this up because of Halloween, my favorite holiday. Hopefully it'll be sufficiently creepy enough. (Some of this was also inspired after seeing 'The Sixth Sense' and that miniseries 'Rose Red'. Don't laugh, I was bored!) I hope to have this published on Halloween, but I'll probably have to settle for it being just close to it. R & R, onegai?  
  
Oh, and I'm not sure where in the timeline this is, but maybe it's before ep. 23,sometime.  
  
It was getting dark and the Humanoid Typhoon and the Bokushi in Black were getting tired. They'd been walking all day and it was just starting to get cooler. Wolfwood had remarked that he swore he'd seen an egg frying on a rock along the way.  
  
"Hey, Tongari! How about we stop for a bit and eat?"Wolf asked, hefting his cross-punisher higher on his shoulder as he trudged beside the outlaw.  
  
Vash yawned and regarded his friend. He did look a little hungry and his stomach could sympathize. "Sure.But there's no place to camp.." He broke off as he followed Wolf's pointing finger as they climbed the little rise. "Okay, I stand corrected, Nick."  
  
Just over the sandy ground, was an old, ruined building; a one story house in a little fenced-in yard. There were a few relics of trees in the yard and crumbling stones for a walkway. Vash got a weird feeling as he looked at it.  
  
"Are you sure we should stay there? How strange is it that there's a building here when we suddenly need shelter?"He tried unsuccessfully to keep his voice from creeping up the octave range. Wolf looked at him with a smirk and a laugh.  
  
"Don't tell me that the legendary outlaw is afraid of a little broken down ruin? Or would you rather sleep on the ground when the temperature drops? I hear the sandworms like to go hunting for warm bodies then.." Wolf said, laughing at Vash's reaction. He'd paled a bit and his eyes had gone wide. "I take that as a no?" Vash nodded vehemently, definitely not wanting to see the inside of one of those things again. They continued on to the ominous (in Vash's mind) wreck.  
  
They wandered up the walkway, their footsteps dull on the stones, then up the creaking steps, Vash almost falling on his face when his foot went through one of them. Wolfwood caught his arm when he was inches away from kissing splinters. "Watch that first step, Tongari,"Wolf said, hauling him up and out as they continued on into the house.  
  
They looked around, seeing cobwebs everywhere, thick dust coating every surface and some broken furniture. A cracked mirror in a corner made Wolfwood turn and brandish his weapon of choice.. At his own reflection. Vash thought this was rather funny.  
  
"So, who's afraid of what?"he asked his irked friend, who turned to him with a vein throbbing on his head. "Don't start with me, Tongari! Let's just find a clear space to camp,"Wolf replied, stalking to the back of the house, finding a dusty bedroom.  
  
He leaned the huge cross against a dresser, then went through his duffel bag and put out his bedroll. Vash came in, warily glancing around before he set up his own sleeping gear. Wolf looked around the rapidly darkening room, then found an old oil lamp hanging from a wall.  
  
"Well, at least you'll have a night-light, hmm?"he said to his frowning friend, showing off his prize.  
  
"Hey, so I have a healthy respect for the dark, okay? Hurry up and light it, onegai?"Vash asked, a little whine in his voice as he crossed his arms and parked it on his sleeping bag.  
  
The priest obliged and wiped off the dust and webs, making sure there was oil in it and all then cracked the bulb up enough to slip a match inside. Soon, the room was lit by a warm glow that caused shadows to dance on the walls with their peeling paint and cracked plaster. Vash tried to ignore the little chill that ran up his spine and rustled though his pack to find the last of his donuts and a couple sandwiches he'd gotten in the last town. Wolfwood put the lamp up on the hook and sat down to eat with Vash, commenting on the fact that as soon as they got to the next town, they needed to hit a decent bar.  
  
After dinner, they decided to hit the hay, but not before they checked this place out to make sure they were alone.  
  
"It wouldn't be good to have been tracked all the way here and let our guards down, right?"Vash asked, trying to grin his anxiety away. It wasn't fooling Wolfwood, he knew Vash just wanted to be sure there weren't any figments of his imagination running around. So, he went along with it, saying he'd be his backup, like how they'd taken down the robotic guards at the sunken ship in the sand.  
  
"I'll check this side, you check that side,"Wolf said, gesturing to the left and right, then checking his gun.  
  
"Shouldn't we stay together?"Vash asked, nervously. "We'll cover more ground this way. I want to get this over with and go to bed, so if you need help, just call,"Wolf replied, frowning at the blonde. "Take the lamp. It's not like we'll lose track of each other, or anything."He handed off the light to Vash, who nodded and went to the right of the house.  
  
After a few feet down the hallway, he realized he couldn't hear Nick's footsteps on the floorboards anymore. Maybe it's just a trick of the placeVash thought, continuing on. He entered a room and swept the lamp around. How can he see without this? he thought. A strange whispering came to his ears, then a little giggle to his right.  
  
"Is anyone there?"he called to the air. A sudden wind rushed past him, slamming the door shut. Startled, Vash whirled around and yanked on the handle. "Hey! Hey, let me outta here!"The giggle was heard again, this time behind him. Little icy fingers danced up his spine and he let out a little 'eep!' as he turned to meet his unseen enemy.  
  
Wolfwood was traveling into a room that might have been the kitchen of this place, if the roof hadn't been caved in by a huge tree branch. Skirting this obstacle, he was going to check the pantry, thanks to the full moon overhead, when he heard crying. Starting, he glanced around, gun at the ready. Maybe Tongari was on to something? he thought, the possibility of not being alone starting to form itself in his mind.  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there?"The crying continued and he followed the sound back around the debris. It was soft, lonely, like the crying he'd heard at the orphanage. How can a child survive in this dump? he thought. "It's okay to come out, I won't hurt you. My friend and I have some food if you're hungry."He spoke softly as he neared the overturned table where he was sure the sounds were coming from.  
  
He bent down to look. "Are you al.."He stopped in mid-word, as he saw nothing at all. "What the hell? I'm sure it came from here!"A whispering then turned into a giggle as a breeze swept through the room and out the door. Wolf caught the door just before it would've slammed shut. "Hey, what's going on here?! Quit playing around, kid! Where are you?"Wolf yelled, angry that a little wind and a prankster kid had spooked him. Hell, there might be a pack of 'em, for all I knowhe thought. Hope Tongari's making out okay.   
  
Pulling the sagging door open, he trudged out into the dark. The laughter came again and he narrowed his smoky-blue eyes and smirked. Okay, kids, I'll play your game. he thought, following after the sounds of that and small footsteps echoing off the walls.  
  
Vash paled as he saw a small figure in front of him, looking at him, curiously. He held the lamp in front of him like a shield. "Who are you? Did you lock me in here?"he asked. The figure was a little girl, wearing a sundress and in bare feet. Her hair was long and dark, like Rem's. He relaxed a little as the child smiled at him and giggled. Puzzled, he leaned forward a little. "Can you talk at all?"The girl nodded yes. "Could you tell me how to get out of here? I've gotta find my friend,"Vash asked her.  
  
The girl pointed at the door and Vash almost face-faulted. "I know that! It's locked!"The door clicked open then and he turned back to her. "How'd you do that?"he asked, feeling creeped out again. The girl giggled and wandered past him and out the door. She brushed his arm and an icy chill ran through him, causing him to pull back in alarm. "Chotto matte! Have you seen my friend? Who are you?"he called as he ran after her. He followed her laughter and the small breeze that whistled through the hallway.  
  
So intent on finding her, he ran smack into Wolfwood, causing them both to yelp in alarm and Wolf to cock his gun and turn it on him.  
  
"Don't shoot! It's me!"Vash yelled as he ducked and backed up, swinging the lamp out to show that it wasn't a threat. Panting, Wolfwood lowered his piece and said, "Don't do that, ya baka! I could've blown your head off!"  
  
"I'm sorry, really! Did you see a little girl come by here? She locked me in a room, then let me out and walked away,"Vash asked.  
  
"You've gotta be kidding me! I'm after a kid, too. There was one crying in the kitchen and I tried to find the kid, but I think I was being played a trick on. Was it your kid? Did she laugh at you?"Wolf asked, running a hand through his scruffy hair. Vash nodded.  
  
"She went that way,"he said, pointing to the back of the house. The room they'd claimed as their own. "Let's get to the bottom of this, Tongari,"Wolf said, putting his gun in his pants and leading the way, Vash holding the lamp high.  
  
They cautiously went forward, listening to the whispers getting louder as they approached their borrowed room.  
  
"Find.. Me.."came a high, lilting voice,which sent goose bumps up the gunmen's arms.  
  
"Alright, what was that? Or am I hallucinating now?"Wolfwood asked.  
  
"I heard it too. I think it's that girl, but I can't place where it's coming from,"Vash said, casting the lamp around, just inside the room.  
  
There wasn't anyone there, but that didn't mean squat to the man in red. Something strange was going on and nothing his friend could say was going to convince him otherwise.  
  
"I don't get it. I'm sure I saw her come this way,"Vash said, turning to Wolf.The wind kicked up again, stronger this time, knocking one of the falling shutters hard against the window. With one last smash, it shattered the window, letting in the howling winds and causing the men to jump back to avoid the flying glass shards.  
  
"Look out!"Wolfwood yelled over the noise, grabbing the lamp from Vash and trying for his hand, but falling short. The tall one stumbled back over a crumbling chair, barely missing their sleeping gear and slammed into the wall. There was a loud, cracking, clattering sound and Vash had made a hole in the wall, almost swallowed up by it.  
  
The winds died down and Nick had to re-light the lamp, cursing as he fumbled for matches, then managed to get it lit. He swung it over to where he'd heard the walking natural disaster crash, eyes widening.  
  
"Hey, are you okay?"He helped his dazed friend up and out. "Jeez, you're a one-man wrecking crew!"  
  
"Uhm.. I guess I am, huh? I didn't mean to, though,"Vash said, trying to brush the dust and webs off of himself. Sneezing, he wiped his eyes and looked at the mess he'd inadvertently created. "What's that?"  
  
Wolf followed his attention, coughing and waving the settling dust away. There was a bundle of some sort, wedged into the wall, just peeking out of the hole. He knelt in front of it and reached out to uncover more of it, Vash helping as he held the light. They weren't prepared for what they discovered.  
  
"What the hell?!"Wolf yelled, recoiling. As he peered closer, Vash yelped in surprise and did the same. The 'bundle' was actually the very decrepit, mummified corpse of a small body. They forced themselves to look again, Wolfwood gently removing the small, light form from the wall the rest of the way and laying it on the debris-strewn floor.  
  
"My god, what happened here?"he asked softly. From what he could see, it had once been a little girl, with long hair and wearing a filthy, yellow sundress. Vash paled. "T-that's her! That's the little girl who locked me up!"he said, shivering a bit. He sagged against the wall, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Going to set the lamp down, he noticed a glint of something inside the dark hollow.  
  
Curiosity getting the better of him, he leaned in with the light to see. It was a small leather-bound book, like a diary, with a tarnished silver clasp. So that's what that was? he thought, retrieving the dusty relic and settling back against the wall. "Nick, check this thing out, I found it where the little one was.."  
  
Wolfwood turned from the sad, scared looking little form and went over to him. Vash cracked the crumbly leather band the clasp was attached to and opened the book. Reading a few passages, they heard the crying again, much closer than before and looked up. The specter of the child was standing before them, semi-transparent and holding a ragged stuffed thomas. She was indeed crying, little silver rivers trailing down her pale skin. Understandibly, the gunmen were spooked, so to speak, but stayed where they were.  
  
"Left.. Behind.. Mad.."came the same lilting voice they'd heard before. Steeling himself, Vash spoke up. "Is - is this you, little one? Can you tell us?"  
  
She kept crying and pointed to the diary as she clutched her toy, then vanished. Intrigued and on edge now, they poured through the rest of the diary. It had belonged to the girl and she'd told of her and her family's times here in their house. They were settlers from one of the fallen ships, trying to start their new life on the surface of Gunsmoke.Things were, for the most part, exciting for her, helping in the garden, tending her family's precious trees and plants.  
  
Simple, childhood pleasures that kept the outlaws riveted, wanting to find out what had happened. Near the end of the diary, a disease had broken out. She'd lost her siblings and all their thomases, and then she started to get sick. Vash and Nick couldn't help tearing up as they relived her painful ordeal. She was so scared, it was hard to breathe sometimes and hurt to get up, so she'd spent her time in bed, writing in her diary and looking out her bedroom window.  
  
She'd loved the trees as they swayed in the breezes that used to favor the house on lazy summer days, the chirping of rare birds, even the sad singing of her okaasan as she tended the plants. But after a few more entries, the diary abruptly stopped.  
  
"I guess - I guess that's when she died, huh?"Vash asked softly, wiping his eyes as he closed the book.  
  
"Yeah,"Wolf said, also wiping his eyes and standing. He regarded the silent mummy and turned to look Vash in his aqua-colored eyes. "We should put her spirit to rest, Tongari.I'm not sure who put her in this wall, but we can fix it."  
  
Vash nodded, face set in sad determination. "Yes, let's do it. She shouldn't be alone anymore, Nick."He remembered the people who were in deep sleep on the ship, so long ago and closed his eyes. There'd been children on board, too.  
  
Dawn was just starting to peek over the low mountains and shifting dunes, winds lightly tossing them around in some unseen pattern. They found a large tree that was dead but still standing tall and dug a proper grave for the child under it and used a long, slightly jagged flagstone from the walkway for her headstone. Wolfwood lowered her gently into the dry, cracked earth, then stood to the side to let Vash place the small diary and the ratty little toy that had also been in the wall with her, into the grave. They silently filled it and gently packed the dirt down, then stood.  
  
Nicholas said a little prayer and Vash stood beside him with his head bowed, tears finding their way past his amber shades. Here was a life from long ago, like me, who once was full of potential, then cut so short. Rem.. What do you say to something like that? he thought. Nick's voice jolted him back to reality.  
  
"I said: I guess that's all we could do, right Tongari? We should probably get going, before it gets too hot."Vash, sheepish, nodded. "Yeah."Shouldering his pack as Wolfwood toted his and the cross, Vash turned to look over his shoulder as they walked away. Rest well, Chihiro.You're not going to be forgotten by me. That way, you'll never be left behindhe thought with a smile.  
  
As shadows crept from the retreating forms of the partners in crime, a little girl's happy laughter came from the tall tree, swept up on the breeze. The specter sitting on a limb smiled at them as she swung her bare legs and hugged her toy, before vanishing yet again.  
  
*OWARI*  
  
"Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little" - (Edmund Burke)  
  
Note: I read this quote and thought it fit the boys' determination and caring. Hope you enjoyed my fic, please review! 


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